Name Mike DiNovi

Age 48

Where are you from?
I was born and raised in New York City, Queens and have lived in Baltimore since 1988.

 
Are you married? Children?
I have been married for 22 years and have a 12 year old son, Julian

What do you do for a living?
I have a Ph.D. in Chemistry and have done food chemistry related work for the last 20 years. I currently work at the Food and Drug Administration in Washington, doing safety and risk assessments for food additives and contaminants.

How long have you been playing Internet poker?
I started playing on the internet about 2 years ago, but only in the play games. I got involved with cash this past fall, around September 2003.

What limits do you play?
I generally play 2/4 in ring games and $20-$50 SnG NL tourneys.

What is your favorite site and why?
I am a confirmed PokerStars player. The software and layout are very good. The quality of play is also good. I just can't stand the mental strain of the bad players on Party. I would rather lose in a better game than continually be sucked out on by 54o (it happened again just yesterday)

What has been your biggest poker thrill or achievement up to now? My biggest thrill has been having my son enthusiastically take up the game. He is reading my books and playing with me. We (he) have finished on the final table of our last two PokerStars rebuy tourney. Now only if he would win me the seat!

What area of your game are you currently focusing on?
I am trying to be less intimidated by the overcard that falls on the flop. I suspect that I am too weak-tight. The last few weeks have brought me my first extended losing streak, 10 tourneys in a row; I think it is affecting my ability to stay aggressive.

If you could go back in time and start all over again on the Internet, what would you do differently?
I would stick to one site, and make my play in that environment the best that I could. I chased bonuses and ended up with stacks at 4 sites. That was too much.

What’s your favorite poker saying or phrase?
No set, No bet: No four, no more.

Who is your favorite poker player (if you have one)?
I enjoy watching Howard Lederer. He appeals to my intellectually snobbery and has such cool at the table.

What are your other interests outside of poker?
I have always enjoyed baseball (and our Orioles are definitely in the wrong division) and I love to cook gourmet. This past year I had a professional 6-burner range installed so I could really do it up right.

Feel free to add anything else you would like to say.
I think that this site and its various fora are the best on the net. I have thoroughly enjoyed the people I have spoken to and shared thoughts with. Poker is a game of numbers, odds, and probabilities and that really appeals to my scientific base. I don't really play for the money (but I do hate losing); it is the intellectual challenge of beating the other guy that appeals to me.